Because of the way the back of an acoustic guitar is pressed against the breast of an instrumentalist, playing of the guitar can be difficult and uncomfortable. Women, especially, often cannot practice as long as desired because of the pain which results. As hereinafter discussed in more detail, other problems caused by conventional guitars include improper posture, an inability to sing properly as a result of distorted posture and the commonly accepted position of EQ panels. These problems have been discussed for years, but have been left unnoticed and unaddressed by guitar companies throughout the long history of guitar making.
Technically speaking, when playing the acoustical guitar “in position”, there are three choices. One choice is for the player to rest her or his breast against the first upper curve of the back of the guitar. Unfortunately, this is where several guitar companies place the EQ panels. The breast can involuntarily turn the knobs during performance. Then there also exists a subtle change or contortion of the rib cage and the spine that takes place in order to accommodate the instrument. This leads to improper posture and is not conducive to proper singing technique. As any highly trained vocalist knows, vocal chords are an extremely touchy, delicate and precise instrument. They require space and freedom of movement in the entire body for ultimate projection. For those singers/song writers who use the guitar as a tool for momentum and interaction of chords and melodic structure of the song, physical distortion of the body brought on by use of conventional guitars is very serious. A second alternative is simply to place the guitar where its line jabs into the side of the breast. A third alternative is for a female player, but not necessarily a male player, to push herself down and left into the center of the back of the guitar. This is a constrictive position and causes tightening of the chest. Again, this is not conducive to good singing performance and can lead to an early onset of osteoporosis because of the slouch that the player assumes.